By Holly Fisher

Heading south on Interstate 95, you might blow right by Exit 8. It’s fairly nondescript. There are the obligatory fast-food chains and gas stations. You can pick up some fireworks or a bucket of golf balls for $4.95. Passersby probably have no idea that Exit 8 provides entré to one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing communities.

Over the last five years, the land encompassed by Hardeeville’s city limits has grown from 5 square miles to 50 square miles and the population has increased from 1,500 to almost 3,000. City officials expect that figure to double again in the next two years.

At 275 years old, Hardeeville doesn’t appear to be the sort of place that would experience such incredible change. It still retains a small-town feel, as evidenced by its one traffic light and the numerous mom-and-pop businesses that line Main Street.

But Hardeeville has a prominent place on the South Carolina map. Located in Jasper County, the city is close to Hilton Head Island and Savannah, and just an hour’s drive from Charleston. Its proximity to Savannah and its port, I-95 and the CSX rail line make it appealing to developers, as does the promise of a new port in Jasper County—a joint project recently proposed by the governors of South Carolina and Georgia.

An influx of retirees also is boosting development, with residential communities springing up to accommodate those seeking to avoid the congestion of South Florida and nearby Hilton Head.

In 2005, Hardeeville issued 12 residential building permits. In 2006, that number increased to 54. At one point in January 2007, the city had granted 36 residential building permits and had another 50 awaiting approval.

It might appear to some that Hardeeville’s growth happened overnight, but city officials, including Planning Director Brana Snowden, have done their homework to assure the city did not get caught wringing its hands when infrastructure failed to keep up with growth.

“This started six years ago,” said A. Brooks Willis, mayor pro-tem of Hardeeville. “We learned from Hilton Head and Bluffton and saw the mistakes they made and started planning.”

“We’re here to create a city, to build a city. I can’t tell you how many times I hear that (from the city council),” Snowden said.

One of Hardeeville’s more innovative planning moves was to have developers bear the added costs associated with growth. Residential developers pay $6,300 in impact fees per house, and that fee increases 3% each year. The city has a fee chart for commercial and industrial sectors, so developers pay depending on the type of development. On average, they pay $4,200 per equivalent residential unit.

Impact fees aren’t unique to Hardeeville, but other cities and towns have come to the idea more slowly and implemented fees mid-stream, resulting in disgruntled developers.

“We have a pay-to-play mentality,” said Assistant City Manager Kevin Griffin. “(Developers) have to pay for the impact. Developers understand the need for impact fees. With each development agreement, we’ve asked for a little bit more and we got it.”

In addition to the impact fees, each developer pays an annual employment fee over a period of five years, allowing the city to hire additional staff with the experience and expertise in servicing large developments. The fee varies based on the size of the development. Currently, the city is collecting about $800,000 per year in employment fees.

Without such fees, Hardeeville residents would have been forced to foot the development bill in a city that hasn’t raised taxes in at least 10 years. The current city budget is about $5.5 million, with about $600,000 of that coming from property taxes.

“We’re growing so fast, we have to operate like a big city,” Griffin said.

Planners have recognized that what happens beyond the Hardeeville city limits is key for efficient growth and development. As a result, city officials are working closely with Jasper County officials and with neighboring communities in an effort to create a planned growth model.

Hardeeville picks up traffic from Bluffton and Hilton Head. Hardeeville city officials are working with their regional counterparts to improve Exits 5 and 8 on Interstate 95.

Plans for another exit along I-95 also are under way. The new exit, Exit 3, is estimated to cost between $25 million and $50 million and is on the federal funding list; Hardeeville officials hope to have it open in three years.

In an effort to hasten construction of the new exit, Hardeeville is approaching federal representatives with money in hand: about 60% of the needed funding for the new exit, said Ted Felder, the city’s economic development director.

“We’re taking money to the federal government to match,” he said. “We’re not going with our hat in our hand.”